Asian lettuce wraps

                   

Happy Dragon year everyone!

I thought I'd take a little break from posting travel pictures and post a recipe, just to remind myself 8and all of you) that this still is a cooking blog after all. Travels are cool, but unfortunately I don't travel every day. On the other hand, I do tend to cook on a daily basis, especially in the winter, especially when I'm trying to get back in shape after over two months of food and drink orgies.

Since the world is celbrating the Chinese new year, I thought I'd cook one of my favorite Asian recipes, one that I used to eat at PF Cheng's when I lived in Florida. I know, Cheng's isn't exactly a real Chinese joint, but their lettuce wraps rocked and they are light enough and veggie packed enough to satisfy both my weight loss challenge and my healthy habits- eat more veggies! challenge.

So here it is. Maybe not the most adventurous Chinese recipe, but a good, solid one.

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS

1 pound ground chicken

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon siracha

1 tablespoon sweet and sour sauce

To serve:

Lettuce leaves

Bean sprouts

Shredded carrot

Shredded cabbage

Cooked brown rice

Heat a non stick skillet or a wok. Mix soy sauce and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken to skillet and stir to crumble. Pour sauce over it and cook for about ten minutes, until chicken is done. If the meat should get dry, add a little more sauce. I added siracha because I love the heat it gives to the dish!

When chicken is done, cover and remove from stove.

Serve with lettuce leaves.



Baked eggs... and a happy new year to everyone!

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope you had a great New Year's Eve and all that. As for me, I was fighting a cold, so it wasn't spectacular, but other than that I can't complain. 2011 was a good year for me. Lots of positive changes came along, and although it wasn't always easy to stay optimisitc and smile, it wasn't too hard either. I've found a job a like and friends I love, traveled to Sweden, Greece, Czech Republic and Germany... so, seriously, what's not to love?

And here I am again, super excited because the day after tomorrow I leave for a nine day vacation in Paris and London. How cool is that? I can't wait.

Of course I hope I'll find plenty of wi-fi connections so I can keep you posted while I'm visiting the cities and eating all that delicious food... but in the mean time, I want to leave you with a recipe I made on New Year's, a simple, no fuss dish that tastes great and is very comforting: baked eggs.

BAKED EGGS

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Cooking spray

4 (1-ounce) slices French-style country bread, cut into (1/2-inch) cubes

1 thinly sliced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, divided

2 tablespoons water

6 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

Dill

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Lightly coat 6 (8-ounce) ramekins lightly with cooking spray. Spread bread cubes in an even layer on a baking sheet, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until bread is crisp and lightly browned, stirring after 5 minutes.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in 2 tablespoons water, and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Evenly divide onion among prepared ramekins; top with croutons. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over croutons.

Carefully break 1 egg into each ramekin on top of croutons; drizzle 2 teaspoons milkover each egg. Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan lined with a dish towel (to anchor them in the pan). Pour boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins to make a water bath. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until the whites are almost set. They should be slightly underdone as they will continue cooking in the hot dishes when you take them from the oven. Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Potato and mushroom cups

I'm soooo tired these days. Last night I had the closing shift at the newspaper and afterwards, I stayed up drinking beer and watching The Mentalist until 3 am. Not smart, I know, but I have such a hard time unwinding, especially after a night like last night, when people seem to drive you crazy on purpose. When the alarm went off this morning at 9, I was tired, but thought I felt pretty good for how little I had slept. It's now 11:24 and I just hit a major wall. I could curl under my desk and go to sleep. Instead I have an interview to transcribe, pages to take care of and the thought that tonight it's Christmas tree/decorations time!

Of course I could sleep during the weekend... not this one though. Friday morning I'm leaving for Zurich, so I guess I won't be sleeping too much. Oh well. Thank God the weeened after that is a four day weekend, so I guess I'll have plenty of time to nap then! 

As for my "detox diet" (read: I have to shed at least 4 pounds because I hate the way my jeans fit me right now) it's going well. I bought a really cool cookbook called "Ammazzacicca" which literally means "fat killer". Gotta love that. There's all kinds of good recipes, all under 500 calories, so I'm enjoying food, yet losing some weight. So far just .5 kilos (1 pound), but hey, I've only started on Monday. Here's a good little recipe for you: simple, yet very satisfying.

POTATO AND MUSHROOM CUPS

1/2 pound potatoes cubed
2 shallots
A few sprigs of rosemary and sage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper

Sautèe shallots in olive oil, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan add potatoes and minced herbs, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for about 7 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 7 minutes. Add shallots.

Place potato mixture in a muffin pan to give it a cup shape.

Sautèe mushrooms and garlic in the same pan for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve potato cups with mushrooms on top.

Goat cheese appetizer balls

It seems like yesterday that I was thinking about Thanksgiving being two months away. And now it's here. Only two days away. Of course I havn't even started cooking or prepearing for it, mostly because this working full time thing has kind of gotten in the way ;-) Since Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Europe I had to take the day off and, while I was at it, I also took tomorrow off, so I have two days to prepare the feast! I have to say that I'm super excited about cooking. I hadn't really noticed it, but since I've started working I have been cooking less than I used to and I really, really miss it.

It sounds a little crazy, but it's true.

So tonight I'm baking cornbread that I will use for the stuffing, so that my celiac friend can eat it too. Tomorrow I'll make what can be made ahead: my famous homemade patê, a pumpkin spread for my vegetarian friend and, most likely, the pumpkin cheesecake I intend to serve as dessert. Thanks to Debbie at Feast for the eyes I will also make the gravy ahead. That way on Thursday I only have to make the turkey and the side dishes. Sounds like a good plan, right? We'll see if I actually follow it through. I'm famous for not following through, so chaos and disorder are always around the corner...

Anyhow... if you are looking for an easy to make and cool to look at appetizer, here's a recipe for you!

GOAT CHEESE APPETIZER BALLS

2 goat cheese packages

2 tablespoons ground almonds

EVOO, 1 tablespoon

2 teaspoons honey

Salt and pepper

Mix cheese, oil, honey in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Using your hands make balls out of cheese mixture. Dredge them into ground almonds.

Serve with a honey drizzle over it.

Vegetarian pad thai

I've recently became a tofu eating freak. Don't get me wrong, thre's nothing wrong with eating tofu, or with being a freak for that matter. The wierd thing about my tofu eating habit is that I have loathed tofu for so long, I was actually famous for campaining against "that cardboard-like crap". I would tell to everyone that listened to me that never would I dream of ruining a perfectly good dish by putting tofu in it. And so on.

The problem, if you are wondering what my problem was, is that the only way I had ever had tofu was in miso soup and, let's be honest, when you eat it like that it doen't taste like much. And I find that the broth makes it kind of slimey too, which is not my favorite consistency in the world.

I had to go to a Japanese restaurant in Milano to change my mind. There, because of a mistake, they brought me a noodle dish with tofu instead of chicken. What a revelation. Because it was sauteed in spices and condiments, it was actually yummy. There and then I decided that tofu would become part of my diet. I bought it shortly afterward and tried my first tofu recipe at home, adapting a Cooking Light pad thai recipe. Success!

VEGETARIAN PAD THAI

Sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons apple vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Noodles:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)

1 cup matchstick cut zucchini 

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup light coconut milk  

1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onion tops

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts

8 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (Banh Pho), cooked and drained

5 lime wedges

To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare noodles, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sauce and tofu; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions and next 3 ingredients (lettuce through noodles); cook 1 minute.

Serve with lime wedges.

Corn fritters with fresh tomato sauce

Another great summer recipe. This year I'm definitely trying to hold on to summer more than last year, although I have to say that it feels pretty damn great to sleep under the covers with the windows open. Last night I enjoyed a glorious rainstorm, one that made the temperature dip from Saturday's 81 degrees to a high of a mere 68F and a low of 52F. I know it's not freezing by any means, but it was quite a shock. The ten day forecast looks good, though. Today is still a little chilly, but from tomorrow on we are going back into the low 80s, hopefully until the 29th, when I'm hosting my birthday party at an outdoors venue.

But enough about the weather. Let's talk about food, shall we?

I had toyed with the idea of making corn fritters for a while, but for some reason I never got around to actually make them. Something would always come up and I'd cook something else, postponing the fritters indfinitely. I mean, between cookbooks, cooking magazines and blogs, how on earth is one supposed to try all the delicious recipes one finds? Seriously, how do you guys deal with this recipe overload?

Anyway, I finally made the fritters... and now I wish I had made them earlier on because they are de-li-cious! Also, they are very easy and quick to make, so I definitely suggest you try them as well.

CORN FRITTERS WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

1 large can of corn (or you can use fresh, if you have it)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced
2 scallions, finely chopped
A bunch of basil, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons of water
Salt and pepper

2 tomatoes
1 scallion
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil, torn into pieces

To make sauce, cube tomatoes, slice scallion, mix together with fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.

To make fritters, place corn in a large bowl. Add garlic, basil, scallions, chili pepper, soy sauce, flour, eggs and water. Mix well.

Heat some oil in a large skillet. Spoon batter into skillet, one tablespoon at the time, then, using a wooden spoon flatten the batter and make the fritter as round as possible. Cook for two minutes, then carefully flip and cook on the other side for two minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with tomato sauce.

Veggie and mozzarella pie

If you think that I'm obsessed with savory pies, you are 100% right. I am. My obsession springs from the harsh reality that more than once savory pies have saved my ass when I had to throw a meal together at the very last minute. Also, another great quality of theirs is that you can fill them with virtually anything you have at hand so there's no need to run to the store and get ingredients when you are already running late.

As you might have guessed by now, I happen to run late a lot in the kitchen. I always have these grand plans of prepearing everything in advance so that I have time to clean up the kitchen and take a shower and welcome my guests happy, clean and relaxed... then I usually end up greeting them looking like a freak with food all over my hands and half the stuff still in the oven or on the stove. But I guess they love me anyways, because they keep coming back. And they love my savory pies, even though I admitted to all of them that the only reason there's almost always one on my table is that I'm incredibly disorganized.

Oh, well.

In case you have missed my other savory pie recipes, here they are:

Zucchini blossom savory pie
Spring vegetables savory pie
Zucchini savory pie
Savory yogurt pie


VEGGIE AND MOZZARELLA PIE

1 refrigerated pie crust
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small eggplant
1 onion
2 small zucchini
1 mozzarella, cubed
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh or dried oregano

Chop all vegetables. Heat some olive oil ina large skillet, add vegetables, season with salt and pepper and saute for a few minutes, until crisp tender.

Unroll pie crust, scatter half of mozzarella on it, add vegetables, then other half of cubed mozzarella. Season with oregano.

Cook in 350F oven for about 25 minutes.

Chicken cutlets with balsamic bell pepper sauce

First things first, I apologize for the poor quality of this photo. See, the thing is, I took it with my phone because I couldn't find my camera for the life of me and the food was getting cold, so I had to use the phone. Then, of course, as soon as I was done eating my camera reappeared, but it was too late. The food was all gone.

Saturday morning my friends and I went grocery shopping in Italy. With 100 Euros I bought groceries (and wie, of course) to last me at least 10 days, so I was really excited to get back in the kitchen. After being so lazy for the whole month I kinda missed cooking and enjoying my meals at home. Now I don't have an excuse anymore: my fridge and my pantry are busting with all kinds of food. So beware, readers, I'm going to start posting like crazy again!

Also, the weather is not as hot as it was last week, when it was pretty much unbearable. It's still sunny and beautiful out, but it cools off enough at night that I actually feel like standing in front of the stove. Which brings me to this chicken dish I made for the first time the other night. I had the most beautiful and plump red bell pepper I'd seen in a while, but I didn't want to use it in the usual way, i.e. grilled or baked in the oven with potatoes. So I made a sort of sauce out of it, that I served with sauteed chicken cutlets. While it cooked it smelled divine and once it was ready it was a big hit with everyone. It's definitely one of those dishes that tastes better than it looks!

CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH BALSAMIC BELL PEPPER SAUCE

Serves 4

8 chicken cutlets
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 red bell peppers
1 small onion
EVOO
2 tablespoons capers

Season cutlets with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet sautee chopped onion and bell pepper in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Place vegetables in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside and keep warm..

In the same skillet cook chicken, two minutes per side, then add balsamic vinegar and let it reduce for 30 seconds. Add bell pepper sauce, capers and cook for a minute or two.

Thai chicken with basil

 

The first time I had chicken basil I was at a small Thai restaurant in Naples, Florida, a place called Siam Thai. Although it was a stone's throw away from glitzy, snobby 5th Avenue South —Naples' downtown area— the place was  family-ran a hole in the wall that featured the right dose of depressing Asian decor, including a couple of posters of Thailand that had seen better days and a mismatched cutlery. Needless to say, it was one of my favorite restaurants in the area. 

It also happened to be literally a minute away from my office, which is how, on a fall afternoon in 2006, my friend and coworker Dan and I ended up sitting at one of the tables in the dark dining room. Since basil is one of my favorite ingredients and Thai basil sauce happens to be one of their spiciest, I feel in love with the dish immediately. In the following four years I ordered chicken basil at every Thai restaurant I went to, although the one from Siam Thai —much like first love— was hard to forget and remains to this day my favorite.

Enter Tommy. Whenever we eat something at a restaurant, even when it's delicious and flirting with perfection, he always says the same thing. "I bet you can make this better at home." Which is sweet, really, although not always true. Or at least I don't think it's true. He seriously does, he tells me. Anyway, because he said that, I found myself buying a Thai cookbook to try and make chicken basil at home. It's an easy recipe and I have to admit that I make a killer basil sauce. But better than Siam Thai's? I don't think so.

THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL

Serves 2

2 chicken breast halves, cut into strips

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Bird eye chilies, to taste, sliced

6 tablespoons (or less if you don;t want it fiery) chili garlic sauce, such as Huy Fong

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

A big bunch of basil, washed and torn

In a wok heat up some oil ( I usually use canola), then add garlic and chiles. Stir fry over medium high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring and making sure that the garlic doesn't burn. Add onions, chicken and chili garlic sauce. Stir and cook until chicken changes color.

Add soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar and stir some more, cooking for a few minutes longer. Remove from fire, add basil and serve immediately.

Pasta salad with avocado, tomatoes and olives

In the past few days I've seen lots of status updates from my American friends counting down the days till the three day weekend, looking forward to Labor Day. I have to admit I had completely forgotten all about it being right around the corner —I have a whole new set of holidays to remember here, and my memory is what it is, so keep track of everyone's holidays proves to be difficult. Anyway, good old Facebook helps me remember some of them, and I thought I'd post a recipe that is ideal for Labor Day grilling and parties. If you are tired of good ol' macaroni salad, that is, which I am since many of you might know by know that I'm not the biggest mayo fan.

So, for all of you who don't like mayo: there's absolutely none in this recipe. The pasta salad gets its creaminess from the avocado, which is not only delicious but it's also good for you. The other ingredients —fresh tomatoes, olives, evoo, Parmesan cheese, olives— compliment the avocado flavor nicely and the result is a refreshing dish that is a little different from your usual pasta salad.

And now I'm off to Bologna —not to eat like a pig, for once, but for the Arcade Fire concert. So excited!

PASTA SALAD WITH AVOCADO

1 box of penne pasta or other short pasta
1 avocado
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
A handful black olives
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and let cool, drizzling with olive oil so that it doesn't get gluey.

In a food processor pulse the avocado with the cheese and enough olive oil to obtain a smooth cream.

When pasta is cold, add avocado mixture, black olives, tomatoes and season with crushed red pepper and more olive oil if needed.

Spaghetti with bacon, leeks and clams

 

Last night I went to the beach bar here by the lake to have a quick drink and —as it often happens at the Bar Lido— one quick drink turned into many and I spent there a few hours downing spritz and chatting with the locals. I find myself in a weird 'in between' status here, where technically I'm not a local (not only I'm not from the village, I'm not even Swiss), but in actuality I hang out at said bar so much I've come to know many by name. 

It was a beautiful night, with the sun setting behind the mountains and the lake reflecting the light all around us. It was also chilly, as a northern wind picked up and made me shiver first and grab a jacket second. It was right then and there that I started realizing that summer is almost over. It struck me as funny because for the past eight years, I experienced no such change. Or at least I didn't experience such an obvious one for, no matter what people think, season do change in Florida. The changes are subtle, but they are there.

Here on the other hand, it was August 30th and, after a day of beautiful sun that screamed summer, a brisk breeze reminded me that summer won't last much longer. And here's the kicker. After having bitched and moaned that I love the cold and I don't mind summer being over for eight years, last night I found myself feeling a little sad, as if I were not ready to let go of the summer quite yet. It was a fleeting feeling, one that lasted only a few seconds, before the realization that all the things I love about winter are about to start happening around me. But it was there nevertheless. 

So when I came home I decided to make myself a dish that put together a little bit of summer —clams— and a little bit of fall —bacon and leeks. It was just what I needed. Only a few spoonfuls made me realize that yes, summer is almost over, but it was a great one and there will be more great ones in the future. And also that fall is almost here, and I've always loved the fall, so at least I have something to look forward to.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS, BACON AND LEEKS

(Serves 4)

1 box spaghetti

2 1/2 pounds clams, washed and ready to use

3 leeks

6 ounces good quality bacon, cut into strips

A glass of dry white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place washed clams in a large skillet and pour wine over them. Cook over medium high heat until clams open. Discard those that don't. Reserve the cooking liquid and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package direction, adding the clams cooking liquid to the pot.

Wash and cut leeks into this strips. Saute them together with bacon over medium low heat with a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add clams, stir well together and remove from heat.

When pasta is ready, add it to the skillet, mix well with sauce over medium heat and serve immediately.

Avocado "boats" with tuna salad

 

Ahhhh... here I am. Back home and already bored. I have to say that it's kind of hard to spend a few days in a city as awesome as Barcelona and come back to a tiny village by a Swiss lake. I mean, it's great to be here and all, but it's no Barcelona.

While I was there I made sure I sampled as much food as humanly possible, which is very easy over there for two reasons. The first one is that it's cheap. The second is that with tapas you get to try lots of different things without over-stuffing yourself. Ok, who am I trying to kid? I did over-stuff myself anyways. But it was worth it. Croquettes, clams, snails, potatoes and, needless to say, tons and tons of jamon serrano and jamon iberico, the Spanish equivalents of prosciutto. I had it everyday, multiple times a day, usually starting at breakfast. Yes, it's that good.

Other than eating —and drinking— my heart out I did all the usual sightseeing, enjoying the many amazing churches and buildings the city has to offer. It was an intense four days and the fact that I was there alone made each day even more intense, making me feel as if I had moved there or something. Which is something that one day I'd like to do. As I was driving the 660 miles that separate Barcelona from Switzerland yesterday, I was musing about living in Barcelona for a couple of months to learn Spanish. I mean, since I'm here, I might as well do something that makes me a better a person, and knowing more foreign languages in my opinion always makes you a better person. So that's the idea I'm toying with.

And, as most ideas do, it came to me as I was sitting idly at a bar —waht a surprise, right?— that served tapas. Someone in the table next to me asked to the waiter "What does aguacate mean?" It turns out it means avocado. I was baffled, because for all my life I always assumed that 'avocado' was a Spanish word. Turns out, it isn't. Turns out I need to go studying Spanish. In Barcelona.

AVOCADO "BOATS" WITH TUNA SALAD

Serves 4

2 ripe Haas avocados, halved and pitted

1 can of tuna in olive oil, drained

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 lemon

! tablespoon olive oil

Salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

In a bowl mix the tuna with the chopped onion and tomato until it flakes. Season it with salt, crushed red pepper to taste. Divide mixture in four equal parts and place it in each avocado half. 

Mix olive oil and the juice of half lemon and drizzle the boats.

Note: if you are not going to serve this dish right away, either wait until the last minute to cut the avocados open or drizzle them with lime or lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Chicken cakes with spicy horseradish sauce

 

Remember the good ol' days when I lived in Florida and every other recipe I posted involved chicken? Well, those days are long gone. Not only because I haven't breathed Florida air since April 22nd, but most of all —and this is the tidbit of news that may shock some of you— I haven't eaten any chicken since that very same day.

Crazy, right?

Well, yes and no.

To most Americans, and to my pre-April 22nd self, it certainly sounds crazy.I mean, chicken is easy. Cheap. Even nutritious. In one word, it's a staple.

Well, not so much in Italy. Nobody eats chicken regularly here, other than the odd roasted chicken on Sundays. Other than that, Italians do not enjoy and do not serve chicken as often as Americans do. Mention a chicken dish to a random Italian guy, my dad for instance, and he'll scoff. The reasons are many, but most of them have something to do with the fact that chicken itself is not the most flavorful of meats and, to make it good, you have to season the shit out of it or marinate it or cover it in sauce. Which makes most Italians shrug and say: Why don;t you eat something that is good without all these things then? 

What can I say? Every population has its obsessions, most of which are food related, especially when it comes to Italians. But that explains why I never ate the stuff growing up and, I'm guessing, that's why ever since I moved back here I haven't eaten it anymore.

Except that, a few nights ago, I was going through the only cookbook I took with me from Florida —a four pounder, hard cover version of "The Essential Dinner Tonight" by Cooking Light that caused me a lot of backache while I was transporting it in my backpack across airports and oceans— and I started recognizing all these chicken recipes that Tommy and I have loved back when I lived in Florida. And I don't know if it's the sentimental factor playing a big part in this (it most certainly is, since I've been very sentimental lately), but I've found myself longing for chicken.

I know. If my dad and/or the Italian government read this, they will disown me and probably burn my passport. 

Still, I since I was longing for a piece of freaking chicken breast cooked any freaking way, I went to the local Swiss grocery store, called Coop. Yes, like a chicken coop. Only it actually means co-op. But I digress. I went into the Coop and looked for chicken breast, knowing that all of the sudden I could no longer live without a piece of pollo. Well, boys and girls, let me tell you one thing. The Swiss must be very proud of their chickens, because to buy a mere 9 ounces of chicken breast I had to shell out 9 Swiss francs, which is about $8.50. But I was on a mission, so I whipped out my (un)trusty AmEx and came home with my loot, which I turned into one of my all-time favorite recipes: chicken cakes with spicy horseradish sauce. 

And although I call it "all time", by now you all must know that this is not a recipe from my childhood, since —to this day— whenever I tell my parents I'm having chicken for dinner, they laugh and say "we're sorry".

Oh, well. To those of you who don't have a problem with chicken, I highly recommend this recipe: it's tasty and it's moist. And Dad, in case you're reading this, it makes the chicken so good you don't even know you are having chicken.

CHICKEN CAKES WITH SPICY HORSERADISH SAUCE

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 4

1 cup bread crumbs

1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/4  cup  chopped fresh chives

3  tablespoons  low-fat plain yogurt

1  teaspoon  Cajun seasoning

1/4  teaspoon  salt

2  large egg whites

2  teaspoons oil 

For the sauce:

  

2  tablespoons  low-fat yogurt

2  teaspoons  prepared horseradish

1  teaspoon  minced garlic

1/8  teaspoon  salt 

To prepare cakes, place chicken in food processor and pulse until ground. Combine chicken, chives, 3 tablespoons yogurt and seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl; mix well.

Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.

To prepare sauce, combine 2 tablespoons yogurt and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with cakes.

Pan seared tomino cheese with bacon and bay leaf

Sometimes I get so lazy, it's not even funny. Take any of the these days —long August days spent by the lake, just the cat and I, with plenty of time on my hands to do whatever needs to be done. Mounds of laundry before I leave for France and Spain next week. Finding a dry cleaner to take all my sweaters to be cleaned before the fall is here. Making complicated and phenomenal dishes, like, I don't know, aspic or something. If I liked aspic, which I don't.

My point is, I have all the time in the world these days —the house guests are gone, I still have a few days before leaving myself— and what am I doing? Squat. I sit around, musing about life, love and freedom, which are all very noble and interesting concepts but, do they get stains off my jeans or do they iron out creases on my t-shirts? Unfortunately not.

Even when it comes to food I am being lazy these days. And I'm not talking about making aspic —something I wouldn't think of doing even on my most productive day— I'm talking about the fact that lately I've found myself making recipes that literally take three ingredients and five minutes to be ready. And, trust me, when you are musing about free will, fate and world peace, they are a real godsend. Because, no matter how philosophical you are being, you still need food in your belly.

PAN SEARED TOMINO WITH BACON

Serves 2

2 tomini (a smaller, slightly firmer version of brie) 3 inches in diameter
6 slices thin cut bacon
2 bay leaves

Wrap each tomino with three slices of bacon. Place one bay leaf on each.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, place bacon wrapped cheese in it (no butter or olive oil necessary) and cook three minutes on each side, until bacon looks cooked and cheese begins to ooze out. Serve immediately.   

Padellata of shirmp and vegetables

You'll get a kick out of this. Or at least I'm getting a kick out of it, so I'm going to pass it on to you. I'm writing this post using a high speed connection on a high speed train traveling between Milano and Napoli. It covers 724 km. in 4:25 hours, including a 15 minute stop at the Rome train station. Is actually mind boggling to zip through the countryside at such high speeds, speeds that peak at 355 km/h in galleries. The train itself, of course, it's pretty damn sweet, with a nice restaurant and bar wagon and power outlets for each seat, even in second class where I'm sitting. Rumor has it that in first class, other than having even roomier and comfier seats, they serve you complimentary drinks, including mimosas —a tidbit of information that has made me long for first class like never before.

See, a mimosa would greatly help me right now as I'm sitting only a few feet away from the world's most annoying 9 year old boy. Seriously, he just cannot shut up and, get this, he not only talks non-stop, he whines non-stop. Which is a lot worse, if you ask me. Good thing that in 40 minutes we'll be in Napoli, and then off to the ferry that will take my best friend and I to Ischia, a gorgeous island in the Med where her family has a vacation home. I'm really looking forward to a few days of sun, relax and, of course, her grandma's cooking.

Last night, before leaving for my minivacation, I had the usual problem of getting rid of all the contents of my fridge, so I thought I'd make a nice healthy meal to prepare myself for the journey and, most of all, to my alarm going off at 5 a.m. to catch the 7 a.m. train to Napoli.

PADELLATA OF SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

(Serves 2)

1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
1/2 egg plant
2 cups shrimp, peeled and deveined
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Crushed red pepper
1 clove of garlic

Heat olive oil in a pan, mince garlic and saute it in the oil until fragrant but not burnt. Add vegetables, season with salt and saute until crisp tender. Season with crushed red pepper.

Add shrimp to pan, saute for a few minutes, about 5, making sure not to overcook the shrimp.

Top with torn basil if you like, and serve immediately.

Special celebratory Mimosas

No, I didn't get a job. Nor have I won the lottery. Especially if the latter had happened, I highly doubt I would be standing in my living room taking pictures of my cocktail as it inevitably gets warm. No. You'd probably see me disappear into the sunset, off to travel the world, with a truckload of champagne following me around.

Alas, I have not found a job yet and neither have I won the lottery. The reason I'm celebrating is that tomorrow I'm leaving for the first of many mini-vacations that I'm taking this summer. I figured that, since I'm not exactly swimming in cash, many short trips would be easier on the wallet than one long one. I also figured that it would be easier to find partners in crime for short journeys as opposed to finding someone who has always dreamed of —say— spending a month exploring the Arctic Circle.

So tomorrow, my best friend and I are leaving for a four day trip to Madrid, something I'm extremely excited about for two reasons. The first one, and more obvious one, is that I've never been to Madrid before and I can't wait to be there to take in the sights, eat the food and drink the wine. The second one is that her and I haven't been on a trip together for almost ten years, but I'm sure we'll have just as much fun as we did in London in 1996 or California in 1999 or any of the other trips we took together throughout the years.

So off to Madrid we go tomorrow, with a convenient 7 a.m. flight. Which means that today I'm trying to get the house half way organized and myself halfway ready for the trip while drinking Mimosas with a twist: blood orange juice and rosee champagne. Aren't I fancy?

Other than that, my summer has actually shaped into something interesting, while my house has pretty much morphed into a youth hostel, as I host all kinds of friends, old and new, and travel with them. Seriously, when Tommy told me he wasn't coming here in August anymore it was the biggest bummer ever. Little did I know that him coming at the end of September instead would open up my summer to a myriad of possibilities and fun. So here's to positive thoughts. And to making the best out of what life handles. Whether it's a change of plans or a batch of blood oranges.

Ratatouille pasta with shaved ricotta salata

So many recipes, so little time. Literally. Between cookbooks, cooking magazines and food blogs, mt list of must-try recipes is getting ridiculously long and one day doesn't go by without me finding yet another one. Because I'm a huge dork, I have recently started a Word file on my computer with all these recipes and where I saw them and every time I look at it, besides feeling like said huge dork, I also have a feeling that if I stopped adding recipes and started making one out of the list every day, I would probably get through it by 2012, just in time to make it before the Mayan end of the world.

Case in point, pasta with ratatouille. The seed was planted when I read about a ratatouille pasta on Emily's blog. Then, a few days later, I saw another recipe for a ratatouille pasta on a magazine. Last but not least, I saw one on the menu at one of my favorite restaurants. I knew I had to try and make it. There are several things that I like about this recipe. First of all, it's easy, fresh and tastes like summer —I guess all those ripe fragrant veggies and basil will do that to a dish. Then there is the fact that it's a classic "let's clean out the vegetable drawer recipe", not much in the sense that you can throw any vegetable in it, but when your favorite veggies are zucchini, peppers and eggplants... well then it's a perfect match for you. And third, I love making ratatouille and, if I make too much of it, I now know that I can make a delicious pasta with the leftovers. 

The addition of ricotta salata —a saltier, harder version of regular ricotta— gives a little more flavor to the dish and pairs incredibly well with fresh basil leaves.

RATATOUILLE PASTA WITH SHAVED RICOTTA SALATA

Serves 4

1 pound rotini
1 red pepper
1/2 eggplant
2 small zucchini
10 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 red onion
Basil leaves
A tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved

Cube all vegetables. Heat up a little olive oil in a pan, add onion, suatee until fragrant, then add the rest of the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, then cook for another five minutes.

In the mean time, cook noodles according to package directions. When they al dente, drain and add noodles to pan. Mix well to combine. Season with more olive oil, if needed, then sprinkle with shaved cheese, basil leaves and thyme.

Penne with Calabrese style pesto

Surprises. You either like them or you don't'. I don't. And that isn't because I'm sort of grump that doesn't enjoy the spontaneous moments in life. Au contraire, I don't like surprises mainly because I have some type of sixth sense that tells me there is something going on —a surprise namely— and because I'm generally such a hopeful, positive person I tend to imagine said surprise to be something awesome, something a lot more awesome than what it actually is. And that, my friends, means that when I'm face to face with said surprise I have to act all happy and cheery, much like when I was nine and my great aunt gave me a house plant for my birthday. I mean, can you imagine being nine, hoping to get some cool Lego or a cuddly teddy bear, and getting a begonia instead? But of course I had to act all happy about it because my mom, from across the room, was giving me that "look happy" look. Faking happiness is not my style, but sometimes, alas, especially when it comes to surprises, one has to do it.

The other aspect I don't like about surprises is the suspense. Don;t you hate it when you walk into a room and everyone in it is on to something you don't know? They look at you, all expectant and barely able to contain themselves, and then —of course— someone yells "Guess what?"

Seriously, spare me the guessing. I loathe guessing. But you have to do it anyway, because they are relentless and everyone calls you a party pooper if you don't. So I guess. My guess usually is "you just got a promotion!", said with genuine enthusiasm and a tiny little hint of envy. Nope. I never guess it right. These days, because my friends are apparently getting old of the sudden, the only possible answers to their guessing game are either "We're getting married" or "We're having a baby". And since I'm not a wedding or a baby person there goes my "look happy" face, the one I learned to make when my great aunt gave me house plants for my birthday.

Of course there is such a thing as a good surprise, one that doesn't involve secretly planned birthday parties or guessing what happened. As it often happens in my life, most good surprises come from the kitchen —either mine or someone else's— or, in this case, from a cookbook I bought a while ago when I realized I was missing my cookbooks like crazy. Yes, people, the two things I miss the most about Florida are my boyfriend and my collection of cookbooks. 

Anyhow, when I think of pesto, I usually think of the traditional Ligurian kind made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. Little did I know that other regions —Sicily and Calabria for example— also make their own versions of it and use it over pasta or over toasted bread. The following recipe hails from Southern Italy, from Calabria, and let me tell you, it was so good it made me want to go there...


PENNE WITH CALABRESE STYLE PESTO
Serves 4

3/4 pound penne pasta
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp capers
10 black olives, pitted
10 sun dried tomatoes
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
A bunch of basil
Salt


Cook pasta according to directions. In the mean time wash and cube the cherry tomatoes. Place garlic, pine nuts, capers, olives, basil and sun dried tomatoes in a mixer and pulse until you obtain a coarse paste.

Heat olive oil in a large pan, sautee cubed cherry tomatoes for a couple of minutes, add the garlic and basil mix and season with salt if needed.

When pasta is cooked al dente, drain it, add it to the pan, sautee for one minute, stirring to combine with sauce and serve immediately.  

Pasta "fermo degli odori"

 

So, this pasta has a funny Italian name. Fermo degli odori. The thing here is, the name is kind of funny not only because it's an Italian name. It's funny even for those who speak Italian, because it literally means "stop the flavors". As in "trap the aroma and let it out later, when everyone is there to enjoy it". 

Makes no sense, right?

Well, let me explain.

This pasta is so easy to make, it's almost a joke, yet it never fails to impress whoever you make it for both because it tastes fresh and wonderful and because it has a certain dramatic flair to it, something that makes people ohhhh and ahhhh kind of like when you flambe crepes suzette in front of them. Only difference is that with this pasta you don't even have to set anything on fire and you don't have to worry about burning your hand. 

The only thing you need to make this pasta is a serving bowl with a tight fitting lid. Or a big pot with a tight fitting lid. Or whatever you can think of with a tight fitting lid. The concept is very easy: take a bunch of fresh herbs —pretty much whatever grows in your garden— mince them with some garlic, place them on top of cooked noodles and some room temperature tomato puree... and then pour boiling hot extra virgin olive oil on it. Place the lid on your bowl right away, bring it to the table and, with the appropriate dramatic flair, remove the lid. The aroma of the herbs and garlic scorched by the hot EVOO will fill the room within seconds and, I guarantee this, everyone at the table will ohhh and ahhh even before they taste the pasta. Which, incidentally, is also something to ohh and ahh about.

FERMO DEGLI ODORI

Serves 4

1 pound spaghetti or short pasta if you prefer

2 cups tomato puree, brought to room temperature and seasoned with salt

A bunch of mixed fresh herbs (I used rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme and chives)

2 large garlic cloves

Crushed red pepper

3/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions.

Mince all the herbs and garlic together, and season with crushed red pepper.

In a small pan heat up the oil so it's very hot but not smoking.

Prepare your serving bowl with the tight fitting lid by warming it up in the oven. When pasta is ready place it in the bowl, top with the tomato puree and sprinkle the herb mixture on top. Pour very hot oil over it and cover the bowl with the lid immediately. Bring to the table, remove lid, smell the wonderful aroma wafting through the room, then stir the pasta until is well mixed and serve.

Pork chops pizzaiola style

 Just to prove to myself and to the rest of the world that I can indeed cook something other than seafood, I made some good pork chops the other night, as I continued watching the World Cup on tv. This recipe was supposed to be made with veal chops, but since I had pork in the freezer I decided it would do. And it did. Quite nicely too.

See, one of the trickiest things about living 5,000 miles away from your boyfriend —apart the obvious ones— is to cook for one. For years I've been used to cook for two which, with his appetite, meant cooking for three or four really. And for all those years I considered cooking just for myself a real drag, which meant that, if I were alone for the night, I'd eat crap standing in front of the fridge, as my dad would say, like a savage. But now things are different. With the prospect of eating in such manner for three months, I decided that cooking for one isn't that much of a waste of time after all. So I started cooking recipes I would normally cook if Tommy or if a guest were here and, guess what? It was a great idea. I mean, if you are eating all alone, in front of the tv, talking to the cat like a lunatic, you might as well do it in style and eat something good, right?

Hence this recipe. "Pizzaiola" in Italian means "pizza-man style" and refers to pretty much anything that is prepared with tomatoes, oregano, capers and anchovies. I used fresh oregano from my miniature garden, which of course made me very proud not only because I have a mini garden, but also because I haven't killed everything in it... yet. If you don't have fresh oregano leaves on hand, use dried. It works almost just as well. 

PORK CHOPS PIZZAIOLA STYLE
Serves 4:

4 bone-in pork chops
Salt and pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 anchovy fillet
3 tablespoons capers
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh oregano
Extra virgin olive oil

Heat up a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Season chops with salt and pepper and sautee them in the pan until browned on both sides. Keep warm in the oven.

In the same pan, add garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes, without  burning it. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, add oregano and cook for a couple of minutes.


Add anchovy and break into the sauce using a wooden spoon. Put chops back into the pan , add capers, let the chops warm up for a minute and serve immediately.